I want to send a big THANK YOU out to MELANIE who sent me this beautiful skein of hand painted merino yarn. Melanie painted it herself. I just found her blog, it's well worth reading! She's got lots of great ideas and has really inspired me. So much so that I've actually begun my very first pair of hand-knit SOCKS!!Thank you Melanie ~ and I'll put your calendar in the mail on Monday. ;-)
Speaking of Calendars...MICHELLE at Boulderneigh sent me a beautiful calendar of Oregon! It's just gorgeous. Thank you, so much, Michelle. And to all of you who have been SO supportive and encouraging... I LOVE YOU ALL!!! I have met the most incredible people (either in person, or via the computer, through my sheep. I am truly blessed.
While we're on the subject of YARN....
I'm making the VENUS
shrug from Berroco. I have NO idea how it's turning out. I've never made one. Nor have I seen one ~ so I don't know what it's supposed to look like! I can't imagine how it's going to turn out something I can actually WEAR! But it's fun. I did mess with the pattern a little. We'll see if I messed it up ;-)
I'm using yarn from Alice that I had spun thru Wooly Knob Fiber Mill. I should have spun it myself. The guys at Wooly Knob are extremely sweet but I can't say that I'm at all happy with the yarn. I had actually sent in two years worth of Alice's fleece to be spun into fingering weight yarn that I planned on making a Shetland Lace shawl out of. But the yarn is way too thick for fingering and it's quite inconsistent. I often have to cut it and make a join because it's so bad I won't use it. See what I mean?
It's from Alice and it's incredibly SOFT and very special to me, so I'm gonna use the yarn, one way or another. I might try a pair of socks (thick ones!) next...
I think I'll keep Alice's fleece (I may keep ALL the fleeces ~ Except Zaria's, which I've promised to Nancy J). this Spring. It's time for me to settle in for some knitting, before bed. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
..."I wonder what Mom will make with MY fleece! Any suggestions...?"
Thanks for the info about the yarns from Wooly Knob. I, too, think they do a nice job on fleece into rovings, but haven't attempted to have them process it further into yarns.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm glad to see you blogging again! :)
(Michelle IS just the nicest person!)
Thank YOU, Kat. You're a pretty nice person yourself.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to be back!
I'm so glad you liked the calendar! I have yours hanging on the wall behind my computer, where I can enjoy the beautiful sheepie photos every day. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear you're finding joy in your knitting (except for Alice's yarn!), your sheep, your family & friends! So glad that you're doing well. It's definitely a process...hang in there-best wishes-I'm sending good thoughts your way.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could double the yarn to knit something a little bulkier. The doubling of the yarn might hide some of the imperfections. OR you could "unspin" it and redo it some or ply the unspun singles with another single that you have spun and maybe "correct" it somewhat that way. It will be special no matter what, since it came from Alice. Thanks for the post though, that is good info to know in case I send some fleeces somewhere for mill spinning this year (haven't tried that before).
ReplyDeleteI did double the yarn on the 2 x 2 rib for the shrug and and does hide a lot of the imperfections. However, it is SO thick and warm that I wouldn't be able to wear the shrug indoors (which is what I want) so I'm using single strands (2 ply) for the rest of the shrug. The yarn was done into 2 ply so it would be hard to unspin. Good idea though...
ReplyDelete;-)
I've decided I like the 'obviously homemade' look of the imperfect yarn. I cut out the worst of the unspun or over spun parts and the rest is working quite nicely. I'll post new pictures next week.
Nancy- You are SO welcome for the yarn, glad to see we have another convert to sock knitting. I have too many pairs...but hey, you only live once...
ReplyDeleteYou have no idea how good I feel after seeing "professional" yarn with the variations and width...I am just learning to spin, and was fretting over how inconsistent my yarn was...whew!
Nancy,
ReplyDeleteHow are you doing way out there near Yucatan. It is sooooo cold!!! I have been plying the white coopsworth yarn I spun at the retreat with the mohair yarn I bought from Kim. Also, I'm nearly done with bootie #1 of the pair and little Megan is almost too big already for them. Our knitting group got canceled tonight due to the cold. Hope your animals are all staying warm, and you too or course!
Terry